Suunto Spartan watches finally get HR zone training with new update

Suunto is rolling out an update to its Spartan line of sports watches, with heart rate zones being the headline feature.

With the update, Spartan watches like the Suunto Spartan Sport Wrist HR will now show you your intensity level on the watch in all sports modes, so you'll be able to see which heart rate zone you're in and how your workout has been spread across different zones.

Read this: Learn to train with heart rate zones

There will be default zones set, but you'll be able to customize these in the settings. You'll also get a breakdown of your training intensity at the end of the workout.

Using HR zones is a great way to improve your training and it's a feature you'll find on many other sports watches, including Garmin's lineup. The update from Suunto also improves connection stability to your phone and to paired heart rate straps. It'll roll out to all Spartan watches by 22 January, says Suunto.

And to coincide with the update - or vice versa - Suunto is launching two new Amber and Sandstone models of the Suunto Trainer. Though if you're looking for something more than a cosmetic upgrade, at CES 2018 Suunto revealed the Suunto 3 Fitness, which puts emphasis on its new adaptive training plans and heart rate - but drops the GPS. That'll be out Spring of this year.